Are We Out of the Woods
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: Jed and Abbey deal with the ups and downs of their third child entering the world. Bartlet History 23.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Once again, blame Taylor Swift. The first time I heard that song, my brain created the crux of this story. I've been waiting almost two years to reach this point in Bartlet History. And since then, I've added more and more and more to the idea until I started writing and had to break it into multiple chapters. I didn't want to inundate everyone with a monster of a fic; this is much more easily consumed. Please review, and there will be more soon.

 **Are We Out of the Woods**

It was very lucky that Jed and Abbey were both such intelligent and mindful individuals. It was also quite stressful in times like this, when they were both keenly aware of everything that could possibly go wrong. It was always useful, however, that they each knew when the other was being too cautious; the other would always buoy and encourage the trepidatious spouse.

And so for months, the Bartlets took turns being terrified and thrilled at the arrival of their third child. After a miscarriage nearly two years earlier, they were both afraid of losing another baby. But neither could resist the excitement of becoming parents again. Whenever Jed treated Abbey a little too fragilely—"Just in case!"—Abbey would tell him to calm down and put his hand on her growing belly to feel the life inside. And when Abbey fell into the paralyzing fear, Jed was there to remind her of the joys of a baby in the house and that everything would be alright.

Everyone around them noticed this strange behavior; they hadn't done this before with Ellie or Liz. But no one questioned anything. The Bartlets were getting a little older, they both had careers and two children already, that must be the cause of the over-attentiveness at Abbey's pregnancy.

For five months, everything went just fine. Until it wasn't.

Abbey felt a sharp pain in her abdomen that reached all the way to her lower back. It wasn't like the constant stabbing ache from last time. No, this was different. "Jed, something's wrong."

A cold chill gripped his insides at her tone. "What's the matter?" he asked, trying to remain calm for both their sakes.

"I don't know. But it hurts."

"Could it just be a cramp or something? False labor?" He clung to any rational answer, hoping that her doctor's knowledge would overtake her maternal panic. Surely this wasn't serious. It couldn't be. Not again.

Abbey just shook her head. "No, Jed, something is really wrong." She reached her hand out to him and squeezed him in a death grip. Her eyes filled with tears as panic threatened to consume her. "We made it to twenty weeks and now something is wrong. I can't lose this baby, Jed," she said, her voice quiet but wavering with emotion.

Jed pulled her into his arms and held her tight. "I know. I know. Shh. We're going to go to the hospital right now."

"Should we call Dr. Hardy?"

"The emergency room can call him. You get your purse, I'll go talk to the girls."

Abbey sniffed back tears and walked quickly but carefully to collect her things as Jed ran upstairs.

"Elizabeth, Eleanor, come here please!" he called to his children.

Ellie came running out of her room. She'd been reading quietly on that Saturday afternoon, having finished her homework earlier that morning. Liz took a little longer to respond. She had been drawing instead of doing her algebra assignment.

"Lizzie, I need you to do me a very big favor."

"Okay…" the eldest Bartlet girl replied skeptically.

"Mom and I have to go to the hospital. She doesn't feel good and we're worried about the baby. We don't have time to wait, so could you please call Mrs. Landingham to come stay with you? Tell her it's an emergency, and I'm sure she'll be over as soon as possible," Jed instructed.

Liz nodded, responding to the stress and gravity evident in her father's expression.

"Ell, you be good and listen to Liz."

Ellie gave Jed a big hug. He kissed the top of her head and let her go, then doing the same thing for Liz.

"Tell Mom we love her," Liz said as Jed went back down the stairs. He just nodded back at her.

In the car, Abbey couldn't stay still. She kept shifting in the passenger seat, hoping that a different position or a little stretch or something would alleviate the discomfort. For the life of her, she couldn't imagine what this could be. As Jed drove, breaking every speed limit, she tried to perform some preliminary examinations on herself. No rigidity in the abdomen. The pain was almost certainly coming from her uterus. She briefly hoped it was her liver or maybe her appendix, but now having almost a full year of internal medicine residency under her belt, she knew better. The source of the pain was much too low to be the appendix, and liver problems would present differently than this. This was a pregnancy complication, she was sure of it. But the exact kind of complication and the severity of it was unknown to her. And the lack of information was something she wasn't used to.

As they pulled up to the hospital, Jed told her, "You know how this works better than I do. I can shout at people to come help you but I don't know who to shout at. So you just point out whoever is in charge so I can shout at them."

Abbey gave a small involuntary smile. "No shouting. I know who to talk to. You just hold my hand, okay?"

"Always."

They made their way into the emergency room and Abbey led them directly to the admitting nurse. "Excuse me, my name is Abigail Bartlet. I'm twenty weeks pregnant and experiencing severe pain. I am a doctor and I know it's not Braxton-Hicks contractions and it's not gas and it's not my appendix. I need an ultrasound and a fetal heart monitor as soon as possible. My regular obstetrician is Dr. Hardy. Someone needs to call him as soon as I'm admitted."

Jed stood by, holding her hand, watching her in amazement. Despite the fear he knew she was feeling, she was calm and collected and completely in control. He was never that cool under pressure. He had such trouble functioning with any sort of clarity when his emotions got in the way. Abbey never had that problem. Probably why she was such a great doctor and he stuck to economics and local elections.

The admitting nurse absorbed everything Abbey told her and immediately spurred those nearby into action. "I need a gurney and an ultrasound machine for Dr. Bartlet." She then picked up the phone and paged Dr. Hardy.

Within ten minutes, Abbey was admitted to the ER and a nurse was prepping her for the ultrasound. Jed just kept holding her hand.

Abbey found all the activity around her to be strangely soothing, and lying on the gurney in the exam room was actually easing the pain. Knowing that people were working on finding out what was wrong made her feel less helpless. She would have answers soon. And if she knew what was happening, she could prepare for what would come next. Even if the worst was to come, she would know. And they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet, it's nice to see you again." Dr. Hardy entered the exam room. "I hear you're having some pain, Mrs. Bartlet. Can you describe it, please?"

Abbey told him what she was feeling, where it was, and what she'd already ruled out and why. "And that's as far as I know. Obstetrics has never been my forte, though on my fourth pregnancy, you'd think I'd know better," she joked, a desperate attempt for levity.

"Well you were right to come in and ask for an ultrasound. Let's take a look and see what your baby is up too, okay?"

The first ultrasound of this pregnancy had been a traumatic flashback to the ultrasound that had told her that her baby had died. But after a few very successful checkups, the process had become much easier for her. She was very used to this now. And she'd gotten rather proficient at reading the images as well.

Dr. Hardy moved the imaging wand around Abbey's abdomen, looking for the fetus. "Ah, there we go."

A gurgling thump sounded from the machine. The baby's heartbeat. Abbey let her head roll back as she sighed in relief.

"Mrs. Bartlet, your baby is moving and the heart is beating. But it is a little slower than what we'd like to see at this stage. I'm sure it's connected to the pain you've been feeling. I'm going to conduct a full examination now. Mr. Bartlet, if you'd like to wait outside."

"Oh…I…" Jed stammered.

"No, he stays," Abbey insisted, tightening her grip on her husband's hand.

Dr. Hardy nodded. "Very well." He then went about the examination. The cause of Abbey's problems became abundantly clear. "Mrs. Bartlet, you have an incompetent cervix."

Abbey blinked at him. "Excuse me?"

"I don't think I like that characterization of my wife," Jed quipped, unable to resist commenting on the strange phrasing. "I'm sure her cervix is perfectly competent."

"Jed, shut up," she scolded. "What risks does that present?"

"Essentially, your cervix has dilated too soon. It leads to premature labor, which often leads to miscarriage. The pain you felt was your cervix dilating and contractions beginning. But because the rest of your body knows it isn't time for labor yet, the contractions were more concentrated. It's very good you came in, Mrs. Bartlet. If you'd let this go on too long, it might have been too late," Dr. Hardy explained.

"So what do you do now, give her a pill? A shot? Tell her to cross her legs?" Jed asked, choosing to ignore the thought of how close they might have come to losing this baby.

"Bed rest. Limiting your activity will go a long way to preventing any further dilation. You're too far along in your pregnancy for surgery. I can prescribe weekly progesterone injections, but that could be tricky on bed rest."

Abbey was quiet for a moment, weighing her options. A thought popped into her head. "Doctor, what caused this? Do I have other risk factors for this condition?"

"Most often, an incompetent cervix is caused by some kind of trauma to the cervix. My best guess is that the procedure we did to terminate your last pregnancy contributed to it."

"Oh so you did this," she blurted. Dr. Hardy's eyes grew wide with fear. She gave him a kind smile. "I'm not going to sue for malpractice. I know how things go in surgery. Sometimes these things happen." She gently tugged on Jed's hand. "Honey, why don't you call the house and make sure Mrs. Landingham got there and the girls are okay. I'm going to talk to Dr. Hardy for a minute."

Jed kissed her cheek and left. He knew she and the doctor were going to speak some technical jargon that Abbey would explain later. All he knew was that she had relaxed considerably, so things must be fine.

"Mrs. Bartlet, your instincts and medical knowledge saved your baby's life today. I'm sure you know that," Dr. Hardy said.

"I do know. And I'm glad for it. Now, tell me if this would work: can we get the progesterone delivered to me so I can give myself the injections? That way I can stay on bed rest and receive that treatment. Unless you want to make house calls," she suggested. Abbey relaxed a little more, now that she knew what was going on and the pain had mostly dissipated. Evidently, bed rest would be the best thing for her.

Dr. Hardy regarded her curiously. "You don't like me much, do you?"

Abbey was taken aback. "What on earth gave you that impression?"

"I've had other patients who were also doctors, but none of them ever spoke down to me the way you do."

"Well, you don't take me seriously, so I'm just responding in kind," she fired back.

"You are brilliant and I will admit that I underestimated you at first. But I do respect you, Mrs. Bartlet. I'm just not used to collaborating with my patients on their treatments."

"For the record, Dr. Hardy, if I didn't like you and I didn't think you were a good doctor, I'd find someone else. But you took care of me with my last pregnancy with honesty and kindness. And despite your tone when you speak to me sometimes, you have always made me feel safe and well taken care of. You can take that however you want."

"I'll come to your home every Sunday evening to check on you and administer the progesterone. That's my day off, so you'll only be charged for the medication," he offered. "But you are going to have to be on strict bed rest. When you get home and into bed, you won't be getting up for anything more than going to the bathroom for the next four months."

Abbey interrupted him. "Can you wait till my husband gets back? If he doesn't hear you say all this, he won't believe that it's real."

With nearly perfect timing, Jed walked back into the room a minute later. "Mrs. Landingham is there, worried sick about you. Apparently Liz told her that we had to go to the hospital because something was wrong with the baby, which upset everyone much more than necessary," he informed Abbey.

"Jed, listen to Dr. Hardy. I have rules for bed rest."

"For the next four months, Mrs. Bartlet, you are only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom. No showering or bathing. That's too much time out of bed. Sponge baths only. No heavy jostling, so that means making sure your kids are extremely gentle when they climb all over the bed. I don't think you'll need any special dietary restrictions. But we'll readjust the rules as the weeks go by. As we discussed, I'll be over every Sunday to give you progesterone shots and give you an examination. Depending on how the hormones work, we might be able to ease up on the restrictions," Dr. Hardy directed. "And unless you have any questions, I can discharge you and let you get home. I'll be over tomorrow for the first injection."

"I do have a question," Abbey interjected. "What about sex?"

Jed choked on the air.

"No sexual activity at all."

"No sex of any kind?" Abbey asked with disappointment.

"No sex of any kind," Dr. Hardy confirmed.

Abbey briefly wondered how she was going to survive four months without sex, but she held on to the possibility of more relaxed restrictions following the progesterone.

Dr. Hardy wanted Abbey to stay and be monitored for a few hours; it was still early enough in the day that she would be able to go home and sleep in her own bed later that night, as long as no other complications presented themselves. And sure enough, after about three hours of lying in a hospital bed, Jed was allowed to drive his wife back home. She was no longer in pain, and she had all the instructions on how to take care of herself and their unborn baby. They weren't out of the woods yet, but she knew what to do to keep them safe.


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright, so I'll carry you into the house and up the stairs to bed," Jed said, matter-of-factly as they parked in front of their farm.

Abbey burst out laughing. "You cannot carry me all that way!"

"Sure I can!" he replied, trying not to feel the sting of hurt feelings.

"Jed, what if you drop me? I'm fairly certain that will be much worse for me than if I walk up the stairs myself. And you'll hurt your back, even if you don't drop me," she reasoned.

He turned off the engine and turned to face her. "Abigail, I will not drop you, and I will not hurt my back," he insisted. "You are my wife, and that is our child." He pointed to her stomach. "I will not let anything happen to either of you. And that includes preventing you from climbing up the stairs with your incompetent cervix."

Abbey narrowed her eyes at him. He was going to annoy her with his repeated use of 'incompetent cervix,' she just knew it. But he was very sincere and insistent otherwise. And he used her full name, which he hardly ever did. He was quite serious. "Alright, fine."

Jed got out of the car and came to the passenger side. "You just hold on tight, babe," he murmured as he scooped her up into his arms.

"Honey, how are you going to open the front door with your hands full with me?" she asked as he made his way to the porch.

"You're going to ring the doorbell." His voice was a little strained from the effort of holding his heavy wife.

Mrs. Landingham opened the door a moment later. "Jed, my god, what are you doing!?"

"I'm on strict bed rest, and he didn't want me to go up the stairs in my condition," Abbey explained as they went past her.

Jed quickly realized his hubris. Halfway up the stairs, his limbs began to shake.

"You okay? You need a rest?" Abbey asked with concern.

"I'm fine," he maintained, trudging up. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek, which did make him feel a little better.

Eventually, he was able to deposit her gently on the bed. Liz had followed them up to see what was going on. Ellie followed but lingered at the doorway without coming in.

"What's going on?" Liz asked directly.

Abbey explained the situation in the best way she could. "My body thinks it's time for the baby to come, but the baby isn't ready yet, so I have to stay in bed until it's actually time."

"Why isn't the baby ready yet?" Ellie asked quietly.

"The baby isn't done growing yet. And if the baby is born when it's too small, it could die," Abbey answered.

Liz asked, "So you're just going to be in bed for a month?"

"More like four months," Jed responded. He was nearly ready to flop down on the bed himself, as embarrassing as that was; he was much more out of shape than he'd thought. But he had to take care of things first.

"Girls, go downstairs for a little while. I'm going to help Mom get all situated, and then you can come back." He closed the door behind his daughters and turned back to Abbey. "How can I help you get comfortable?"

She gave him a small smile. "You're worn out from carrying me, aren't you?"

"I'm fine," he lied.

"If you say so. Help me get undressed and grab one of my nightgowns from the dresser, please," she instructed.

Jed pulled her blouse over her head and tugged her jeans off her legs. "You know, this is a lot less fun when I know we can't have sex for six months," he commented bitterly.

"Six months?! Oh that's right, we have to wait after I give birth," she sighed. "Are children really worth this? I mean really? Don't we have enough?"

He chuckled, knowing she was kidding. "The time will fly. Here, sit up for me a minute." Jed helped her get comfortable in her white nightgown. "If you get cold, we can find something else for you to wear."

"I'm sure I'll decide I want something else when it's time for my sponge bath."

"Oh god, that's right." He frowned. "Abbey, I don't know how to give a sponge bath."

"I do. We'll be fine," she said comfortingly. "Now, you've helped me plenty and you look a little dead on your feet. Come lie down for a minute and rest up."

Jed lay down beside her on the bed, allowing his body to vibrate from exertion. After a minute, he rolled over to face his wife. He put his hand on her stomach. "You better grow big and strong pretty quick, little Bartlet. Because your mommy is going to get very bored up here in bed until you arrive," he whispered.

Abbey ran her fingers through his hair with one hand while the other rested atop his on her stomach. They stayed like that for a few minutes.

A loud crash from downstairs disturbed their quiet moment. "I'll go see who broke what," Jed said as he got up.

"I'll be here," Abbey replied with resignation.

She tried to listen to what was happening downstairs, but other than the vague sound of voices, she couldn't make anything out. So rather than keep trying, she precariously scooted herself to Jed's side of the bed to get the phone on his nightstand. She dialed the New York phone number she knew by heart.

"Hello?"

"Oh Millie, I'm so glad you're home!"

"Abbey, hi! I'm glad you caught me. How are you?" Millie asked her dear friend.

"Well, Dr. Griffith, I've been better." Abbey proceeded to explain everything that had transpired that day. "So now Jed is downstairs with the girls and Mrs. Landingham, and I'm up in bed. Which is where I'll be for the next four months."

Millie heard the frustration and masked fear in Abbey's voice. "Okay. I'll be there for dinner tomorrow."

"What?"

"I'll spend tomorrow morning explaining everything to your supervisors at the hospital and I'll pass off my patients and use my vacation time up in Manchester."

"I'd appreciate you talking to my supervisors, but you don't need to waste your vacation coming up here, Millie!"

"Abbey, you are my very best friend, and you let me move in with you during the biggest challenge in my life. Hopefully this will be the biggest challenge in your life, and I'm going to be right there next to you for as long as you need me."

"Maybe you can give me sponge baths so Jed can preserve a little of the romantic mystery between us," Abbey quipped in assent to Millie's kind offer.

"Of course," Millie laughed. "So you tell my goddaughter that I'm coming. I'll help Jed out with the kids and I'll give you the best damn sponge bath you've ever experienced."

"Oh Millie, I love you."

"And I love you. Rest up and I'll see you tomorrow. Don't worry about a thing."

Abbey hung up the phone feeling like everything would be okay. But after about a minute in the room by herself, she realized that this was only an hour out of four months of hours. She was definitely going to need to get some books to read or take up a hobby of some kind.

Over the next two weeks, Millie Griffith got the entire Bartlet house in perfect working order; if anything, they were more efficient than when Abbey was able to contribute. Jed got up early to make breakfast for the girls. Millie drove them to school when Jed went to work, and then she came back to keep Abbey company and help Mrs. Wilburforce, the housekeeper.

But two weeks came and went very quickly. Abbey had been hopeful that the progesterone and bed rest were helping her condition and Dr. Hardy would let her relax the restrictions. No such luck. Millie had to go back to New York, and Abbey was in more or less the same place.

Abbey was reading a book Jed had brought her from the library one afternoon, almost three weeks into her bed rest prison when a shy knock came at her door. She put the book down. "Come in," she called curiously.

Ellie came into the bedroom. "Hi, Mommy."

"Hello, sweet girl. How are you today?"

The little blonde shrugged, her gaze fixed at the floor.

Abbey frowned. "Ellie, honey, what's wrong?"

Ellie looked up at her mother. "When can you come out of bed?"

"Probably not until the baby comes. Around Christmastime," Abbey replied.

"Mommy, I miss you!"

Abbey's heart broke into a million pieces. "Come here, Ell." She opened her arms so Ellie could climb onto the bed and snuggle up with her. "I'm right here. Even if I can't get up and do things with you for now, I am right here. I will always be here for anything you need. But sometimes, like now, you're going to have to come find me instead of me being able to notice when you need me."

Ellie buried her face into Abbey's chest.

"Why don't you tell me what's been going on, hmm? Didn't you have fun with Millie?"

"Yeah, but she left. And now Daddy is always tired and busy and you can't come play with me or help me with my homework," Ellie whined.

Abbey gave her daughter a squeeze. "This is only for a while longer. It's not forever. I'm sorry Millie had to go and Daddy is so busy. He has to do everything all by himself now that I can't help. And I wish I could, Ellie, I really do." She kissed Ellie's forehead. "Tell you what, you can come up here and do your homework after school every day, okay? That way we can spend a little more time together and I can help you with whatever you need. Does that sound good?"

Ellie nodded. But she frowned again, her little head spinning with concerned thought. "Are you sure you can't get out of bed?"

"I'm sure. We don't want anything bad to happen to the baby."

"Okay." Ellie put her small hand on Abbey's pregnant stomach. "Did you have to be in bed when I was in your tummy too?"

"No, I was going to school when you were in my tummy. I didn't have any problems with you. And I still don't," Abbey added with a smile.

"How about with Liz?"

"Daddy and I lived in London then. She was not much trouble, but she was our first baby, so we didn't know anything yet."

"Oh. Did you read a book to learn?" Ellie asked curiously.

Abbey laughed. "I did read some books, yes. It was before I was a doctor, so I wanted to learn as much as I could about being pregnant. But most of what we learned about being a mom and a dad we learned by just trying."

"Like how I learned piano by practicing?"

"Kinda like that, yeah." Abbey reached out and pushed Ellie's frizzy curls out of her face, letting her fingers trail down her daughter's round face.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Eleanor?"

"I'm really excited to meet the baby and it is a lucky baby because you are a really good mommy."

In that moment, Abbey was happier than she'd been in almost a month. This made everything worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

The phone rang one afternoon and Abbey, desperate for human contact during the long days when the girls were at school and Jed was working, answered it quickly. She was surprised to hear her sister's voice on the line.

"Kate! Hi!"

"Abbey, what's wrong?" she asked accusingly.

"Oh, did Mom tell you I'm on bedrest?"

"You're on bedrest!? Why?" Kate exclaimed.

Abbey frowned. "I'm pregnant, Kate. And there were some complications so I'm stuck in bed until the baby comes to term in December. Mom really didn't tell you?"

"I'm calling you because Mom hasn't heard from you in a month. Why haven't you called her? Aren't you usually the good daughter?"

Abbey realized that in her self-pity and desire to keep occupied, she hadn't told her parents about her situation. In fact, she hadn't spoken to them since she'd told them she was pregnant. That had been back in July. "I guess I assumed Jed had told them," she thought aloud.

"I guess he didn't."

"Well, why didn't they call me?"

"With your work schedule, flying to New York every other day, they never know when you're home. They didn't want to bother you," Kate explained.

The guilt welled up in Abbey's stomach. "I'll call the house as soon as we get off the phone. But since I've got you, how are you doing?"

Kate sighed. "I've started looking for new mediums. I want to do a comment on the industrialism of the age, tempering it with natural byproducts of mechanical construction. I just finished a piece using crushed up brick from a site near Battery Park. But I've heard there's a couple of trees in the Bronx with cool leaves that I want to check out."

"You sure they aren't in Brooklyn?"

"What?"  
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Never mind. That sounds like a great project. I'll have to come by and see some of your new things when I'm back in New York."

"Right on. But now go call Mom. She's freaking out a little. And you can yell at your husband for ignoring your family for two months." With that, Kate hung up.

Abbey dialed her parents' phone number.

"Hello?" a man's gentle voice answered.

"Hi, Dad."

"Abbey! It's been a while. How are you, ducky?"

"I'm okay. I've been better. Turns out I've got an incompetent cervix," she told him, not bothering to refrain from technical jargon with her M.D. father.

"Oh my god, did you lose the baby?" Jim asked in a panic.

"No, thank god," she reassured him. "I'm on bedrest until term."

"It's amazing you caught it in time. It's rare and usually leads to miscarriage."

Abbey felt a cold chill and swallowed hard. "Yeah. I felt something off and Jed took me to the ER and six weeks later, here I am."

"Abigail, you've been on strict bedrest for six weeks and you didn't call us?" he scolded.

"I thought Jed called you, I swear!"

"Well tell him to get your guest room ready because I'm going to tell your mother what's been happening and you know she's going to insist we come stay with you for a while."

"Dad, you can't just leave your practice on a whim," Abbey reasoned.

"Oh you just watch me! Besides, I'm halfway retired anyway. I can come help with your mother for a week or so."

Abbey softened. "That would be really great, Dad, thanks. Millie was here for the first two weeks, but I can tell Jed's had a tough time by himself for the last month. And so far, Dr. Hardy hasn't seen the effects of the progesterone like he expected."

"There's no real cure to an incompetent cervix, Abbey, but I'm sure you did your research."

"Of course."

Jim nodded to himself, proud of his daughter. "Alright, so I'll tell your mom and let her panic at me, and I'll have her call you for the plans after she calms down."

Abbey chuckled. "Sounds good, Dad. Thank you."

Jim and Louise Barrington arrived from Massachusetts three days later. All the Bartlets to have them there. Louise cooked everyone's meals. Jim relieved a lot of the burden off Jed with Ellie and Liz. Jed as able to actually spend a few quiet moments with his wife that weren't spent sleeping or telling her about his day when he collapsed into bed at night.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" Jed asked on Saturday morning, when Jim and Louise had taken the girls to the pumpkin patch.

"As good as can be expected. I'm bored out of my skull most of the time. Reading can only occupy so much of my time," she told him. "I wish I could do something else, but being stuck up here is pretty limiting."

An idea popped into Jed's mind. "Wait here a minute," he said, getting up from their bed.

"Okay, I'll stay here," she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

She heard some movement downstairs, followed a little while later by some thuds on the stairs.

"Jed, what are you doing?" she called. Only a grunt answered her.

A minute later, Jed staggered in, carrying the television set from the living room. He hadn't prepared a place to put it, so he just bent to put in on the ground. That was a mistake. He let out a cry of pain. "Dammit!" he swore loudly.

"Oh no, your back!" Abbey exclaimed. "You know you aren't supposed to lift things like that!" She threw the covers off her and sat up.

"Don't you dare!" he shouted, halting her from getting out of bed. He tried to swallow his groans of pain. He shuffled forward and allowed gravity to bring him down onto the bed.

Abbey watched him quietly for a fraction of a second. "Can I go get the Percocet for you now? It's just right there in the medicine cabinet."

"Okay," he replied, his voice muffled in the comforter.

With a deep breath and slow, even movements, Abbey got out of bed. She clutched her seven-month-pregnant belly and waddled her way to the bathroom. It only took her a minute to fill a glass with water from the sink and get one pill out of the bottle and put it away. "Alright, swallow this. Don't spill all over the bed, please. I live here, you know."

After a few moans and groans, Jed propped himself up just enough to take the painkiller. Abbey took the glass from him when he was done so he could flop back down.

"It should kick in soon. Give it half an hour and you'll be good as new," she told him

Jed mumbled something in response.

"What was that?"

"I don't want you to massage my back."

She frowned. "You _do_ or you _don't_?" she asked in clarification.

"Don't. You shouldn't be doing things. You already had to get up."

Abbey's first reaction to that statement was annoyance. But she looked at her worn out, broken husband and found the affection in what he was saying. "I'm not _that_ fragile, babe. The massage always helps, and I don't need you bedridden for a week with me. Lie still. I'm going to untuck your shirt so I can get underneath, okay?"

Jed lay there like a dead fish, feeling the correct amount of shame for the fact that his wife, pregnant and on bedrest, had to take care of him like this. For god's sake, he was only thirty-six!

It took a little maneuvering for Abbey to find a comfortable way to sit up and rub Jed's back. She put her hands under his shirt and massaged around until she found the source of his pain and put more pressure on the area. His groans turned from sounds of pain to sounds of contentment. She smiled.

"What's going on here?"

Abbey looked up to see her father standing in the open doorway of their bedroom. "Jed pulled his back out again."

"Oh?" Jim needed only look around before he found the reason. "Oh here we go. Jed, did you carry the television all the way up here?"

Jed grunted.

"That's a 'yes,'" Abbey translated.

Jim smiled. "That's a lovely gesture. How about if I hook it up while you recover a little?"

"That would be great, Dad, thanks," she answered before Jed could protest. It might have been a blow to his fragile masculine ego, but it was better he didn't hurt himself again. And she really didn't want the television set sitting on the floor in the middle of the bedroom.

Abbey massaged Jed a little more thoroughly than she normally would have, trying to keep him distracted from the TV. Jim cleared space and easily lifted the set to where it would be in easy view for Abbey and then plugged it in. He spent most of his time adjusting the antennae to get a clear picture.

"That should do it!" Jim announced a few minutes later.

"And that should do it for you, too," Abbey told Jed. "You should be able to walk by now."

Jed hauled himself up and moved around gingerly. Abbey was right, he could certainly walk now. Things still felt vulnerable, but no more pain. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Abbey gave him a kiss on the cheek before turning to the TV. "Hey, that looks great! Thanks to my two favorite men, I shouldn't be as bored anymore. Now I can channel surf."

"And the girls can come up here and watch TV with you instead of them being downstairs and you stuck upstairs," Jed pointed out.

She hadn't thought of that. Her face lit up. "That's right! Is that what you had in mind all along?"

"It was one of a few different motivations, yes," he answered proudly.

Jim looked at his daughter and son-in-law with pride. "I'll go inform the little ones. I'm sure they'll be clamoring to sit with you for hours." He went downstairs to get Liz and Ellie.

"This is going to help a lot, hon, thank you," Abbey told Jed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't fix it up myself. I guess I got over-enthusiastic again," he replied with a shrug.

"You know the doctor told you not to lift heavy things. What were you thinking? Actually, I know what you were thinking, and that's why I love you so much." Abbey wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I just wanted to help. There isn't much I can do, but hopefully this will make the next two months a little easier."

"I know."

"Valde te amo," he replied, professing his love for her in Latin.

Abbey knew this wouldn't fix everything; she was only going to get bored of this like she'd gotten bored with the books. But anything helped. She was only two months away from full-term. The light was beginning to show at the end of the tunnel.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Halloween rolled around, Abbey's boredom and fluctuating hormones had dragged her into an emotional tailspin. She'd never been much of a weepy person, not quick to cry when she felt overly sad or overly happy. But this pregnancy had progressed to an absurd place, causing her to burst into tears at the drop of a hat. Quite literally, Ellie had dropped a hat and Abbey had felt her eyes well up. It was starting to make everyone uncomfortable. The girls had stopped coming up to watch television with Abbey as often as they had before. All of this just made Abbey more emotional and therefore more frustrated with her plight.

Music was playing downstairs. She could hear it. It was so close and yet so far. She longed to get up and see what was going on. But she knew better.

Jed came up to the bedroom. "Hey, can Liz borrow one of your dresses? We're trying to come up with Halloween costumes, and she thinks she wants to be Pat Benatar."

Right on cue, Abbey broke into a sobbing mess.

"Oh god, I'm sorry, honey!" Jed came rushing to her side and held her close. "She doesn't have to borrow one of your dresses. I can take her to Macy's and find her something, I'm sure."

"But I can't help her try on dresses or dance around to terrible pop music," Abbey cried.

"I know, sweetheart. But it's not forever. It's just for now. The baby will come before you know it, and all of this will be in the past," Jed reminded her.

"I'm missing out!"

Downstairs, the music stopped. Liz's voice echoed through the house. "Dad! Come here, Ellie needs help!"

Jed jerked up out of instinct but his crying wife made him pause. But she pushed him and waved him away. "You go. I'll be fine. I know you're right. Everything is okay. I just hate being pregnant and a stupid emotional wreck!"

"I'll be right back," he assured her, giving her a comforting kiss on the forehead before dashing back down to their girls.

He returned in ten minutes, explaining that Ellie had been trying on costumes and got a shirt stuck on her head and wiggled too much for Liz to help her. Crisis averted. But after that, Abbey swore to herself that she wouldn't let herself so bent out of shape for things that really, in the long run, were not a big deal.

Despite her efforts, Abbey couldn't seem to escape the cycle of self-pity. Instead of crying all the time—though she still couldn't fully prevent it—she tried to just keep very quiet and solemn.

Jed wasn't sure if he actually preferred the crying. This quiet attitude reminded him far too much of their terrible time in London, when she had felt trapped and it was all his fault. He didn't want it to be like that again. He tried to think of what to do, or who to turn to, which was a very tricky issue in and of itself. If he went to her parents, they would surely worry too much. Millie would just drop everything and come back to New Hampshire, and Abbey didn't want to feel like she was a burden to her friend. Jed momentarily considered calling his brother, but Jonathan was never any real help with serious matters. But that consideration led him to exactly the right person. The one person who cared enough to want to help but wouldn't go blabbing to Abbey about it later: her sister.

"Kate, I need your advice," Jed said after they'd exchanged the customary pleasantries.

After a small snort of disbelief, she responded, "If it isn't related to non-traditional art forms, I can't imagine what I can help you with."

Jed explained the situation as best he could and concluded with, "And I don't know how to help her. She can't do the things she wants and I can't make her stop caring about it. I was hoping you'd have an idea."

There was a long pause. "Actually, I've got it. I'm going to send you something. You'll figure it out. Watch your mailbox." And with that, Kate hung up the phone.

Jed was left rather confused but strangely comforted.

Two days later, Kate's cryptic statements all became clear. He received a medium-sized box from her New York address. He opened it and read the note she'd written:

 _This should help a little bit. I put extra film in the box so you won't have to buy more after two days. Love, Kate_

Inside the box was a Polaroid Instant Camera. It was a little old and beat up, the white covering a little gray with use. But it didn't matter what it looked like. Kate had given them the perfect thing.

And it had arrived just in time. It was October 30th, and the girls were very excited to get all dressed up and go trick-or-treating. Deciding to keep the Polaroid a surprise, Jed put the box in the kitchen and didn't tell Abbey about it.

Liz found the box and began asking questions about fifteen minutes later. "Dad, what's this?"

"It's a present from Aunt Kate for your mom," he answered.

"Yeah, but what is it?"

"It's a Polaroid. It's a camera that prints the picture right away."

Liz frowned. "Wait, so you don't need to go to the photo shop to get film developed?"

"Here, let me show you. We can try it out." Jed took the camera out of the box and made sure the instant film was properly installed inside. "Smile!" He pressed the little red button. A second later, the print slid out.

"There's nothing on it," Liz said dubiously.

"Hold the white border and wave it in the air. It takes a minute," he instructed.

She did as he said, still suspicious of the entire idea. But sure enough, the image began to appear. "Hey, it worked!"

"I told you."

"Can I take a picture?" she asked.

"Let's take one of you and me together," he suggested. "But that's all for today. The camera is for Mom."

"How come?"

Jed explained, "Well, Mom is stuck upstairs until the baby comes. And you've probably noticed that she hasn't been herself lately. She's really sad that she can't be with you and Ellie and do things with you guys or see anything that's going on anywhere else. She feels like she's missing out on everything."

The lightbulb went off for Elizabeth. "But with the camera we can take pictures so Mom can see what we've been doing!"

"Exactly," Jed replied with a nod and a smile. "So let's take one quick picture of us and then be done. I want to surprise Mom tomorrow when you guys are all dressed up in your costumes, so she can see us trick-or-treat."

Liz liked that idea. She hugged her father as he held the camera facing them. They both gave big smiles as he pushed the button and handed her the print. She rushed off to put the picture in her room.

The next day, Ellie and Liz came home from school and brought their costumes into their parents' bedroom. Abbey helped them get dressed as best she could. Ellie and Liz had a wonderful running back and forth to their mother's vanity as she instructed them on what makeup to bring her so she could paint their faces.

In a little over an hour, Ellie had been transformed into Rowlf the Dog from The Muppets Movie, and Liz had teased hair and bright makeup to make her Pat Benatar. Abbey held back the tears as she sent her daughters downstairs to get their pumpkin buckets to go out and collect candy.

Jed came up to see her just before they left. "Ellie is barking and Liz won't stop singing. And unfortunately, she didn't get your talent in that department."

Abbey laughed, "Well, she's Pat Benatar, not Barbra Streisand, so I think it's fine. As for Ellie, I think she'll be too afraid to bark at the neighbors, but we'll see."

"We won't be gone too long, I promise."

"They can have one piece of candy each. And you take those buckets away as soon as they're done collecting for the night. Liz is going to try to sneak more than one, so keep an eye out."

Jed could tell that she was being strict to hide her hurt at not being able to go with them. Both Jed and Abbey knew that they didn't have many Halloweens left when Liz would want to dress up and go out into the neighborhood with her family. With a forced smile, Jed assured her, "I'll watch for the candy. And I won't let them sneak any. We're going to drive into town, so I'll take the buckets away before we get back in the car to come home."

"Good."

He gave her a quick kiss before leaving. And she was left alone again. But rather than wallow in that, she picked up the phone and called her parents. She gushed over how adorable her girls looked in their costumes. She allowed her mother's care and concern to comfort her and her father's kindness and humor cheer her up. After that, she turned the TV on to wait for her family to return home.

She caught the end of the evening news when she heard the front door creak open.

"Mommy!"

Abbey grinned. She never did get tired of hearing that. "Yes, Lizzie?" she called, turning off the television.

Liz came running into the room and climbed on the bed excitedly. "Mommy, look!" She excitedly handed over the Polaroid pictures.

"What's this?"

"We took pictures when we trick-or-treated so you could see!" Elizabeth scooted close to her mother and showed her everything they'd done. She'd made sure her father took lots and lots of pictures.

Abbey couldn't believe that she got to see everything like this. It was almost as good as being there with them. Liz told every story in great detail.

Midway through the stack of pictures, Jed and Ellie came and joined them. "Ellie has an idea," Jed announced.

Ellie shuffled in somewhat nervously and held up a record.

Deciding against forcing his shy daughter to speak for herself—knowing it would just upset her and everyone else—Jed explained, "Ellie wanted to dance to the Monster Mash. So we thought we could put it on the turntable up here and move some of the furniture so we can dance."

"But Mom can't dance," Liz pointed out.

"I can have just as much fun watching you all dance," Abbey replied.

Jed went ahead and put on the record. The sounds of a bubbling cauldron and rattling chains started the song. Liz immediately began to dance with Ellie. Jed bobbed along with them, causing Abbey to laugh loudly. As soon as the girls were distracted by each other, he came to sit beside her on the bed.

"I'm a much better dancer when I can dance with you," he defended.

"I should hope so," she teased. "But this is wonderful, thank you. The dancing and the Polaroid pictures."

"That was actually a gift from Kate."

"My Kate?"

"Yeah. I called her last week when you were really upset, hoping she could give me ideas on how to help you. And I think your sister really came through."

Abbey sighed. "It's been a very long ten weeks."

Jed put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. "I know. But we're nearing the end of it. Dr. Hardy said you can induce as early as Thanksgiving."

"I want to give the baby as much time as possible. So we'll hang on as long as we can."

He nodded. "I miss you."

Abbey looked at him, reveling in the twinkle of his blue eyes. "I'm right here. Which is where I'll stay for the next month and a half. But I know what you mean. We'll make it through and we'll be better on the other side." She leaned in to give him a kiss.

They were interrupted by Elizabeth's voice. "Dad, dance with us!"

Jed laughed as he broke away from Abbey. "Alright, I'm coming!"

Abbey just watched them with a big smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Jed Bartlet drove home a little too fast, making turns a little too sharp, and stopping a little too abruptly. Abbey hated it when he drove while upset; his focus was off and he tended to act recklessly, as he was now. But he didn't care. He just wanted to get home and put this nightmare day behind him.

Working at the State House was a mixed blessing. Jed liked feeling like he was contributing to something important, representing the people he'd lived with for years and making New Hampshire the greatest state it could be. But it was thankless work. His enthusiasm and dedication were met with apathy from his constituents. The Bartlet name had been a big part of why he had won his first election, but now, people were mostly disinterested in what he was trying to do. Even his campaign manager had said it was a miracle he'd gotten reelected a month earlier. And because of the low voter turnout and the insane increase in popularity of the Republican Party (thanks to President-Elect Reagan), Jed and his liberal ideals had become extremely unpopular and unappealing. Legislating for the last two years felt like swimming against an undertow.

He was still in a foul mood when he arrived home. He opened the heavy, creaking front door. Normally he would call out to Liz and Ellie to greet them with hugs and kisses, but he didn't even want to pretend to be cheerful right now. He just stomped upstairs to see Abbey. She always knew what to say to make him feel better.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked pointedly as soon as he opened the bedroom door. Her brow was furrowed and her shoulders were stiff with tension.

"I just got practically laughed out of the State House," he grumbled.

"Oh?"

"That bill proposal I've been working on for months? To change the funding structure of the educational extracurricular programs? I guess my colleagues have been humoring me, because we were supposed to present the proposal for preliminary vote and instead of giving me the floor for my argument in support, they conducted a vote to table all new bills until the new State Senators were sworn in after the new year." He sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed heavily. "If I hadn't been almost humiliated in that election, this wouldn't have happened. I have absolutely no influence anymore. No one wants to pay any attention to what I'm trying to do. I can't do anything!"

Abbey narrowed her eyes at him. "At least you can get out of bed."

"That's different! I'm trying to affect real change in this state and I can't! Besides, things are better for you now than they used to be, right?"

"Oh yes, how could I forget the true gift that Dr. Hardy gave me by informing me that the weekly progesterone shots had finally had the wonderful effect of letting me bathe myself for no more than five minutes every day. How could that vast improvement slip my mind?" she replied with bitter sarcasm.

"It's only for another couple of weeks. He said you could induce right after Christmas, since the baby is developing so slowly," Jed reminded her.

"Four months and another couple of weeks. Of course. I love my unending bed rest adventures. I'm having a great time." Her vicious cynicism was unrelenting.

"Come on, Abbey! I come home after an awful day for a little sympathy, and this is the crap you give me?"

"Honestly, Jed, I can't say I feel too bad for you right now. Get over it or get out," she spat.

Rationally, Jed knew she was just frustrated and uncomfortable after being cooped up so long. But in his vulnerable mood, he couldn't empathize. "Fine. I guess I'll just get out. I won't bother you anymore." He stood up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom, slamming the door closed behind him.

Abbey realized what she had done. He was genuinely upset, and she'd dismissed, mocked, and belittled him. A vice grip tightened in her abdomen that, for the first time in a while, had nothing to do with her pregnancy. She had hurt her husband, and she had to make it right.

Without another thought, Abbey threw off the bed covers and stood up. She clutched her enormous stomach and waddled to the door. Her balance was a little off and her legs felt shaky from such severe disuse.

"Jed?" she called, exiting her bedroom for the first time in months. A sharp pain in her back knocked the wind out of her. She paused, taking a deep breath before calling a little louder, "Jed?!"

There was no response. She took another deep breath before taking another few steps out into the hallway. It was dark upstairs. The girls were probably downstairs with Mrs. Wilburforce. Jed was either with them or he'd gone outside. Slowly but with great purpose, Abbey made her way to the stairs. The pain was getting worse, coming in waves and dissipating. She knew this pain. This was a familiar pain. She let out a small moan, her eyes and lips shut tight as quick, shallow breaths went in and out through her nose.

When she felt like she could, Abbey took a few more steps down the stairs. She wanted to call Jed's name again, but she could only focus on one thing at a time. As it was, she was trying to ignore the pain and the wetness running down the side of her leg.

Abbey could hear voices in the kitchen as she got closer. "Alright, thanks Mrs. Wilburforce. You have a nice night, and we'll see you tomorrow. Be careful driving in that snow," Jed said kindly.

The kindly old housekeeper collected her purse and coat from by the front door. She was about to leave but something caught her eye. "Oh my! Mrs. Bartlet!" she cried, rushing to Abbey's side. "Mr. Bartlet, come quickly!" she shouted to Jed.

Jed rushed to the staircase to find Mrs. Wilburforce helping Abbey stand in the puddle of liquid at her feet. "Oh my god, Abbey! Abbey, what are you doing!?"

Her face was shining with sweat and her eyes were unfocused. She was unnervingly pale. "I wanted to come apologize for being so awful to you, and my water broke," she told him in a weak voice.

"Mrs. Wilburforce, keep the girls in the kitchen and call 911. We need an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She shouldn't be up and about at all, and I can't get her to the car like this," Jed instructed.

The housekeeper rushed off to do as Jed asked. After she'd left, Jed helped Abbey to the bottom of the stairs where she could lie down. Since she was supposed to be on bed rest, he assumed that a supine position would be best for slowing labor. But this didn't look like when she'd gone into labor for their other two children. She was starting to shake and her breathing was getting raspy.

He sat on the floor with her, her upper body resting in his lap. He held her hand and stroked her hair soothingly. "Everything is going to be okay, sweetheart. Our baby is coming soon. Everything will be fine," he murmured. Jed noticed that the wet on her pajamas was starting to turn a dark red. Her water had broken and now she was bleeding. He didn't want to scare her, so he just held her close, pressing kisses to her forehead. "Everything is going to be okay," he repeated. The ambulance was on its way. They'd make it through. They just had to hold on a little while longer. Everything would be okay.


	6. Chapter 6

Dr. Hardy walked into the ER exam room, steeling himself for the chaos. He wasn't disappointed. Jed Bartlet was clutching his wife's hand, his eyes wide as they darted around the room at the various people moving around her. Abbey Bartlet was pale and sweaty and fading in and out of consciousness. Dr. Hardy could tell she was trying very hard to hold on to reality.

"What did you do, Abbey?" the obstetrician asked loudly, cutting above the din of nurses and trauma residents scuttling about.

Abbey mumbled something unintelligible. Her eyes were fluttering open and closed.

Dr. Hardy turned to Jed instead, who answered, "We had a fight and she got out of bed to come downstairs after me. The contractions started and her water broke and then she started bleeding."

"I had a feeling I wasn't going to be able to go see my in-laws until Christmas Eve, and it looks like my instincts were right. So thank you, Bartlets, for getting me out forced small talk in the mountains of Vermont," Dr. Hardy quipped. After that slight bit of levity, he got right to work. "Abbey, I'm going to examine you quickly and do an ultrasound to make sure, but I think you're going to meet your baby very soon."

Abbey could hear Dr. Hardy's voice, but it sounded very far away. Her face felt hot but her body felt cold. Her chest was heavy and breathing was quite a chore. Her eyelids couldn't seem to stay open, try as she might. She gave Jed's hand a small squeeze.

"I'm right here, honey," he murmured, stroking her hair, keeping it from sticking to her sweaty face. "And we're going to meet our baby today!"

"About time," she replied in a weak voice, eliciting a thankful chuckle from Jed.

Dr. Hardy completed his preliminary examination. "Alright, good news and bad news. The bad news is that your cervix has ruptured, and that's what caused the bleeding and the weakness. The progesterone injections over the last few months have increased your blood pressure, which is why you're feeling so weak and dizzy. The monitors are also telling me that the baby is in distress. And that means we'll need to go into surgery right away. So the good news is that you're going to get to hold your baby today, and after I go in and repair everything, you'll be just fine." He caught the eye of his favorite nurse. "Patricia, please prep Mrs. Bartlet for a Cesarean."

Abbey's attention was muddled, but she'd focused closely on the doctor's words. "Let's go get a C-section," she conceded. If truth be told, she was glad she wouldn't have to push. She wasn't strong enough to have a long, intensive labor. And clearly, the faster they could deliver the baby, the better.

The nurse, Patricia, wheeled the gurney through the hospital and up the elevator to the operating room. Jed jogged alongside, never letting go of her hand. He only had the vaguest idea of what was happening, but he took solace in Dr. Hardy's calm demeanor. This doctor had been with Abbey through her last two pregnancies and despite her initial complaints about his personality, Jed had never heard her say a single bad thing about Hardy's capabilities. Jed just had to trust him to take care of Abbey and the baby.

"Mr. Bartlet, you'll need these," Patricia said, holding out a gown, a scrub cap, a face mask, and gloves. She helped him put everything on as he continued to hold Abbey's hand. "We're going to take very good care of them both," Patricia quietly assured him.

Elsewhere, the other nurses and doctors were prepping Abbey for surgery. She was getting blood and medication through various IVs, and their effect was quick. Within minutes, she was more alert and felt much stronger. She could open her eyes now and keep them open.

"Alright, Dr. Hardy, talk me through the procedure, please," Abbey requested. She had never been operated on before. Not like this, at least. Dr. Hardy had performed another procedure for her before, and then, just like now, Jed had held her hand the whole time and the doctor had explained every single step as he performed them.

Dr. Hardy smiled underneath his face mask. He was glad Abbey had stabilized. "Okay, Abbey. We're still prepping you for surgery. Jed, you're going to want to focus on Abbey's face. Because she is going to want to watch and you are definitely _not_ going to want to see this, okay?"

"You got it," Jed acquiesced.

As soon as the anesthesia had sufficiently numbed Abbey from the neck down, Dr. Hardy began. He worked efficiently and calmly, using all the medical jargon he wanted, knowing it was all for Abbey's benefit. She couldn't see much of what was going on, but she nodded in understanding as he spoke. Whether or not Dr. Hardy knew it, this was the best way to keep Abbey Bartlet calm. She could focus on the medicine and surgical procedure, letting the personal aspect of being operated on in the midst of a severe pregnancy complication get pushed aside.

"You know, I was hoping I could tell you that this pregnancy would be the hardest thing this baby would ever put you through. But I think you know how girls can be," Dr. Hardy said with a smile.

"Girl?" Abbey repeated excitedly.

"That's three for you now, isn't it?"

A second later, a loud, wailing cry echoed in the operating room.

Jed felt tears well up in his eyes. "That's three girls!" He did his fatherly duty of cutting the umbilical cord. Patricia came and took the baby to clean her off. Jed turned his back to Dr. Hardy, who was now working on repairing the damage to Abbey's body. He blinked away tears and told Abbey, "She's perfectly pink and beautiful!"

Abbey had no words. She just smiled. The anesthesia helped with that. Because she was being operated on two feet away from her face. But they had brought another baby girl into the world. They'd made it out of the woods of a complicated pregnancy, and now everything would be okay.

Patricia returned, bringing the clean, swaddled baby to her parents. "Here's your daughter!"

Jed held the baby close to Abbey's face. They were all crying now. "She's so perfect! And she looks just like you," Abbey said to her husband.

"You think? I'm pretty sure she's got your nose," Jed pointed out.

A monitor began beeping loudly. Dr. Hardy barked instructions. "Patricia, take Mr. Bartlet to the waiting room and the baby to the nursery."

Patricia took the baby out of Jed's arms. "Mr. Bartlet, the doctor needs to concentrate. Please follow me."

Jed looked over to Abbey. Her eyes were closed and the anesthesiologist was putting a mask over her face. He felt like he was going to be sick. "What happened?"

"A complication," Patricia answered simply. "Dr. Hardy has it under control."

Jed followed her out of the operating room in a daze. He had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he was powerless. And that he needed to be with his daughter.

Patricia led Jed not to the waiting room but the nursery. She directed him to a rocking chair in the corner, usually used for new nursing mothers. "Sit here. I'll be back with news as soon as there's anything to tell." She placed the still-crying baby in Jed's arms.

He sat there, rocking his infant daughter and trying to shush and soothe her as best he could. She quieted down soon enough. Jed focused on her tiny little face. She was so small. He didn't remember Liz or Ellie being this small. But then again, it had been a very long time since he'd held a newborn baby.

Jed didn't know how long he was alone with the baby. He didn't dare look at a clock for fear that it would tell him it had been hours and Abbey was still in emergency surgery. But before he could panic over that, Patricia had returned.

"Everything is fine. Mrs. Bartlet experienced a lot of bleeding from her cervix, but Dr. Hardy was able to stop the bleed and repair the damage. She's about to go into recovery. If you'd like to see her, I'll take you to her room. And while you're waiting for her to wake up, I'll do all the tests we always do on newborns."

"I don't want to leave her," Jed replied, holding the baby close.

"I'll bring her into Mrs. Bartlet's room as soon as I'm done, I promise."

Jed nodded and gave the baby over to the nurse, who put her in the incubator so she could take Jed to Abbey's room.

To his surprise, Abbey was starting to stir as he walked in. Patricia explained that she hadn't been under general anesthesia for very long, so the effects would wear off quickly.

"I'll bring your baby in just a few minutes. And Dr. Hardy will be in soon as well." With that Patricia left the Bartlets to tend to their new daughter.

Jed rushed to his wife's side. He took her hand once again and stroked her hair. He whispered a prayer in Latin, thanking God for the health and safety of his family. After crossing himself, Jed ended by whispering to Abbey, "Valde te amo." I love you very much.

"H-how is she?" Abbey asked in a raspy voice. She was still in the process of waking up, but her mind was alert enough to demand information about her child.

"She's fine. She was sleeping in my arms just a minute ago. The nurse is going to finish checking her out, and then she'll bring her here," Jed informed her.

"What happened after the C-Section?" she asked, unable to recall what had transpired after she'd first heard her baby cry.

"I can help with that." The Bartlets turned to see Dr. Hardy enter the room. "Abbey, the rupture in your cervix was worse than I originally thought. After the placenta was removed, the bleed increased at an alarming rate. I was able to suture everything and stop the bleed, but…Abbey, I'm afraid you won't be able to have any more children. The damage is just too much to enable any successful pregnancy. I'm so sorry."

Jed looked to Abbey for her reaction. All she did was nod.

"I'll let you process this. If you have any questions, the nurses can get ahold of me for you." With that, Dr. Hardy left them alone.

Abbey didn't have any words. Not yet. She was still feeling fuzzy from the anesthesia. Her mind was moving slowly.

Reasonably, Abbey had thought that this would be their last child. She was a few months shy of thirty-six years old, and this pregnancy had been difficult enough as it was. If given the choice, she probably would have come to the decision to not have any more children on her own. But knowing that her body had made the decision for her was disheartening; she had no choice in the matter. Regardless of that, however, she'd survived emergency surgery and other than her reproductive capabilities, Abbey knew she'd recover and be as good as new in no time. As long as the baby was healthy, she would be happy.

"I'm so sorry, Abbey," Jed said quietly, interrupting her silent contemplation.

Abbey took a slow, deep breath. "Nothing to apologize for. I think three children is plenty. And the surgery sites will heal. I'll be just fine," she assured him. "But I can't give you any more children, so I guess I'm the one who should apologize."

"Nothing to apologize for. Nothing whatsoever," Jed insisted, bending his head to kiss the knuckles of the hand he was still holding.

Patricia returned a moment later, wheeling a bassinet. "Here she is, Baby Girl Bartlet! She is seventeen and a half inches and five pounds, three ounces. That's a bit on the small size, but she is a couple weeks premature. But there is absolutely nothing abnormal or worrisome about her. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlet, you have a very healthy baby. Does she have a name? If so, I can start the paperwork for you."

Jed replied, "No, no name yet. We never got around to deciding. I guess we thought we'd have more time."

Patricia just smiled kindly. "When you do decide, just hit the call button and the nurses at the station will help you however you need."

Jed nodded. "Thank you, Patricia." He let go of Abbey's hand only so he could pick the baby up and finally put her in Abbey's arms.

Abbey couldn't stop smiling. "She's so tiny!"

"Though she is but small, she is mighty," Jed recited.

"What should we call her? I cannot believe that we didn't decide on a name."

Jed thought for a moment. "I have kind of a weird suggestion."

"Let's hear it."

"Zoey."

Abbey was taken aback. It was a lovely name but seemed very out of left field. "Zoey? Why?"

"In Greek, it means life, which I think is somewhat fitting. And it starts with Z, which is the last letter of the alphabet, and she's our last child."

That explanation clinched it. "I love it. Zoey Patricia Bartlet," Abbey said with a smile.

"Wait, where did Patricia come from?"

"That nurse. I have never seen you have such positive interactions with any human being in a hospital who wasn't a member of our family. She did a lot to bring our daughter into the world, and she was a comfort to the both of us during every chaos- and panic-filled moment of today. That takes a very special God-given skill. And besides, it sounds nice in between Zoey and Bartlet," Abbey reasoned.

"Zoey Patricia Bartlet," Jed repeated, feeling the musicality of the syllables fill his mouth. "Well, I convinced you on the first name and you convinced me on the middle name." Jed reached over and used his pointer finger to softly caress the baby's cheek. "It is very nice to have you here, Zoey Patricia Bartlet."


	7. Chapter 7

Abbey lay in her hospital bed, still thoroughly exhausted but happier than she'd felt in a long time. She rested her head comfortably on the pillow and smiled at her daughters.

"Mommy, what color are Zoey's eyes?" Ellie asked without looking away from her sleeping baby sister in the basinet by the bed, making this about her fiftieth question of the day.

"Right now they're blue, but that might change," Abbey answered.

"Change to what?"

"I don't know. Liz had blue eyes when she was born, but they're hazel now."

"How come eyes change color?" Ellie questioned curiously.

Abbey explained, "Eye color is determined by your genes, which you get from your parents. And color is caused by something called melanin, and babies don't have very much melanin. So as the baby's body develops more melanin, the blue changes."

Ellie was visibly taking in this new information, quietly processing and coming up with even more questions. "How long will Zoey have blue eyes?"

"I don't know. Your eyes were blue-green until you were about two. But Liz's changed after about three months." Abbey briefly thought that perhaps some mothers would get annoyed by so many constant questions, but Abbey never struggled to find patience for her inquisitive daughter.

Ellie turned to Jed, who sat in a chair by the window carrying on a separate conversation with Elizabeth, and asked, "Daddy, why are your eyes stay blue if Lizzie's changed?"

Abbey couldn't help but give a small smile of pride. Every day, Ellie did more to show how brilliant she was. And while Abbey was pleased her interests seemed to lean towards science and medicine, she knew Ellie's curious nature came right from Jed. Abbey could almost imagine a six-year-old Jed Bartlet following his grandfather into the library at the Bartlet Farm and asking endless questions about history and literature and math and everything else.

Jed was interrupted from Liz's description of various field hockey formations she was learning on her new team to turn to Ellie. "I'm sorry, jellybean, what did you say?"

"How come you have blue eyes?" Ellie repeated.

"God made me that way," Jed responded.

Ellie's little brow furrowed with confusion. "Mommy said it was melanin."

"Okay, then how did the melanin get there?" Jed challenged.

"Genes," Ellie answered confidently.

Jed looked to his wife, unsure of where to go from here.

Trying to keep from laughing, Abbey took over. "Ellie, genes are like the ingredients of a recipe. Like when we make brownies and we use chocolate and flour and eggs and everything else. But God makes new directions for every new person using the genetic ingredients from each parent. Does that make sense?"

"And the baby cooks inside the Mommy's tummy?" Ellie asked, trying to put all these pieces together.

Abbey chuckled, "Yes, sweet girl, that's exactly right."

Before Ellie could start on another line of questioning, they received a visitor to the hospital room. "How's everyone doing today?"

They all looked to the doorway. Liz jumped up and rushed over for a hug. "Grandma Mary! Hi!"

Ellie hopped down from where she sat on the edge of Abbey's bed, knowing it was time for her to leave now.

"Hi, Mom," Abbey greeted, not bothering to sit up. Her mother-in-law understood how tired she was and certainly wouldn't be offended by her lack of effort.

Jed made his way over to greet his mother with the customary kiss on her cheek. "Everyone is looking forward to going home, I think."

"Definitely," Liz added, echoing the sentiment. She was looking forward to having Christmas at home and having everything back to normal. Nothing had been normal all year with Mom on bedrest and now her new baby sister keeping them all in the hospital for a whole week.

"Girls, Grandma Mary is going to take you all home to the farm. Dad is going to meet you there a little later. And then tomorrow, Mrs. Landingham is going to stay with you when Dad comes back to take Zoey and me home, okay?"

"Why can't we all go home tonight?" Liz asked, disappointed that here was still yet another day of 'making do,' as Dad kept calling it.

"Dr. Hardy wants Mom and Zoey to rest for another night. We're all going to be home tomorrow, sweet pea," Jed told her.

"You promise?"

He smiled and pushed her dark brown hair back from her face. "I promise."

Mary took Liz and Ellie home, leaving Jed and Abbey alone with their newborn. She was just starting to wake up from her nap.

"Oh dear. Ellie will be so disappointed. Zoey's baby blues are wide open now," Jed noted.

"She's probably hungry." Abbey held out her arms for Jed to hand her the baby. He picked her up carefully, taking a moment to kiss her soft baby skin before giving her over for her dinner. Abbey sat up and situated the baby to breastfeed and sighed with relief when she latched on. "I am always terrified she won't eat," she thought aloud.

"Are you? I didn't think you had any trouble breastfeeding Liz or Ellie."

"No, but absolutely nothing about this last pregnancy has been normal in any regard. Everything that went well with the first two has so far not applied to Zoey. I guess I'm just waiting for the next thing to go wrong."

Jed nodded. "I know what you mean. I keep waking up in the middle of the night in panic that the phone is about to ring with the hospital telling me about the next thing that's gone wrong with you or Zoey."

Abbey shifted the baby so she had one hand free. She reached out and gave Jed's hand a squeeze. "I am going to be fine. There is nothing wrong with me now." She sighed heavily. "It's her I'm worried about."

"At least she seems to be eating just fine," he pointed out.

She nodded. "She's perfect. But we were so close to losing her."

"She's here now, and we won't let anything happen to her," Jed vowed.

Abbey stayed quiet and waited for Zoey to be done eating.

Jed just sat and watched the miracle of his wife feeding their new daughter. Everything about Zoey was a miracle. Abbey was right, they'd come so close to losing her at so many different points over the last five months. And now he just couldn't take his eyes off that tiny, round, pink, perfect little girl. He knew he needed to leave and go take care of their other daughters, but he hated to go.

Abbey's voice interrupted his reverie. "Make sure you write down all of Ellie's questions when you get home. I'm sure she has more, and I don't want you filling her head with the nonsense you make up when you don't know the answer to something."

Jed smirked. "Yeah, okay. I guess I should get going."

She nodded and let go of his hand. She tilted her head up so he could kiss her before leaving. "I'll see you tomorrow, boyfriend."

"Your chariot will await, doc."

When she was alone in the room, Abbey began to softly sing to little Zoey. She didn't know all the words yet, but she'd heard the song about a thousand times on the radio. And Zoey didn't know the difference anyway. "Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed. Some say love, it is a razor the leaves your soul to bleed. I say love, it is a flower, and you, its only seed…"

After Zoey fell back asleep, Abbey put her in the bassinet and was able to get a little rest. This would be the last night she'd have in this hospital with a staff of nurses to tend to the baby if she needed. Abbey remembered well the sleeplessness of a newborn. She wasn't looking forward to it, even if she could not wait to walk around her own house for the first time in months. Even sleeping in her own bed, her bedrest prison since summer, seemed like a welcome place.

Jed was back at the hospital first thing in the morning. He never did sleep well in their bed when Abbey wasn't there. He could do it once or twice a week when she had been working those long hours in New York, but an entire week sleeping without her was really rough. So he returned to her side as soon as he could.

"I brought donuts!" he announced as he entered. He didn't notice that his wife was still sleeping.

The sudden noise woke Abbey but it also woke Zoey. The baby began to cry. Jed immediately put the box of donuts on the side table and went to quiet his daughter.

Abbey blinked her eyes open and slowly brought herself to a sitting position. She mostly ignored the crying, knowing that Jed could take care of it. Unlike many fathers she knew, her husband was extremely interested in a hands-on parent. He wanted to help out any way he could. And he had a special gift with crying babies.

"Did I scare you, Zo? I'm so sorry," he murmured at her, bouncing her ever so slightly.

"Why did you bring donuts?" Abbey asked, still groggy.

"Because I wanted to get breakfast for you and this is what I thought of."

"I can't eat that much processed sugar, Jed."

"Not even a bite?"

She growled quietly. "If I have a bite, I'll want the whole thing. And I already have who knows how many pounds to lose from being bedridden during half my pregnancy."

"You look gorgeous," Jed assured her.

"I never said I didn't," she countered, a small sparkle in her eye letting him know she was teasing.

They were interrupted by Dr. Hardy. "Good morning, Bartlet family!"

"Good morning, Dr. Hardy. Would you like a donut?" Abbey offered.

Jed pointed to the box as Zoey continued to wail.

"I think I'll do a final check of your stitches, sign your discharge papers, and then yes, I will have a donut," Dr. Hardy replied with a pleasant smile.

The doctor went about his examination, making sure Abbey's C-section incision was healing properly. Everything seemed to be fine, and he took a powdered donut as he went to the nurse's station to take care of the paperwork.

Zoey had calmed down by the time they were making their way out of the hospital. A nurse wheeled Abbey in the wheelchair. She held the baby in her arms. Jed had taken the carrier to the car so he could pick them up at the front entrance. Abbey watched the light snow fall through the window. She smiled. They were going home.

Jed left the motor running in the Chevy as he came to put Zoey in the baby carrier and help Abbey walk to the car. She really walked much in a while, and she was still a little weak from the surgery. But soon, mother and daughter were settled in the backseat of the car. Just as she had with Ellie, Abbey wanted to stay close to the baby during the journey.

"Alright, are we all set? Everyone have seatbelts?" Jed asked, putting the car into gear.

"Yep, we're all ready!" Abbey was feeling a little giddy at the prospect of getting to have some semblance of a normal life back.

"Here we go!" Jed drove out of the parking lot and turned on the radio. That annoyingly catchy song, "Sailing" by Christopher Cross, was playing. Abbey hated herself for humming along.

The drive went slow, due to the snow and the precious passengers in the car.

While waiting for a stoplight, Jed turned around to check on his ladies. "Everything okay?"

Abbey smiled. "Everything is fine. The light's green, babe," she pointed out.

He drove into the intersection when all of a sudden, a black sedan ran a red light to turn left and came right toward them. Jed slammed on the brake and reached behind him to attempt to shield Abbey and Zoey. They heard screeching and felt jerking impact and everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8

Rationally, Abbey knew she was in shock. She knew she wasn't hearing anything or feeling any fear or pain or anything else because she was in shock. And she knew the strange calm over her was not going to last.

And sure enough, she came back to reality. The glass shards littering her arms and face and back began to sting. Her heart rate began to race, pounding in her ears. But that sound was quickly drowned out by the wailing cries of a baby. Her baby. Abbey's awareness snapped into place.

Zoey was crying and screaming right in Abbey's ear, and she realized this was because she'd thrown her body on top of the baby carrier before the impact. The panic rose in Abbey's throat as she gingerly moved herself off of Zoey, trying to avoid getting glass on her.

As much as it hurt to move, Abbey felt a wash of relief to see that there was not one single scratch on the baby. She was likely crying out of fear and surprise, rather than pain. Abbey didn't want to move her just yet, not knowing what was happening.

Once she was confident that Zoey was okay, Abbey started to look around. Her heart dropped into her stomach.

Jed was slumped over in the driver's seat. Blood was streaming from a laceration on his temple, and his right arm was bent out of his shoulder socket at an incorrect angle.

Abbey was afraid to touch him, knowing better than to move a victim of a head or back wound, lest it exacerbate any damage to the spine. But that shoulder was definitely dislocated, if not worse. It was probably a good thing he was unconscious, because he would be in severe pain otherwise. If he was passed out. Abbey didn't even consider until this moment that he might...she couldn't even think the words in her mind.

"Jed? Honey?" she called out in a hoarse voice. But she knew that if the baby's crying didn't wake him, her voice wouldn't. He didn't stir.

Just to satisfy herself, she shifted slightly so she could lean forward over the front seat. Her hand was shaking as she brought it up to his face. She felt his breath at the same time she noticed his chest rising and falling. He was alive. Abbey started crying with relief.

Sirens sounded, getting closer and closer. Help was on the way. They'd go back to the hospital and everything would be alright. Abbey just sat where she was and cried and waited.

The rest of the day was a blur. The fire department had to use the jaws of life to get them all out; there was too much damage to the body of the car to use any of the doors. Abbey yelled at the paramedics to tend to Jed, insisting that she was fine. Only when he was on a gurney in the ambulance did she let anyone touch her. She was a little shaky, but she was able to walk to the ambulance to go with Jed. One of the EMTs checked Zoey and found no obvious injuries, as Abbey had already ascertained, and put the baby in her arms. On the way back to the hospital, Abbey just held tight to Zoey as tears continued to stream down her face. She cringed as she watched the paramedic put Jed's shoulder back into the socket. His whole body spasmed, but thankfully he was strapped down so he wouldn't be able to move.

All three Bartlets were taken to different places upon arrival at the Emergency Room. Abbey had glass removed from the cuts on her face and arms and neck. The ER Doctor also gave her a quick neurological exam, making sure she didn't have a concussion or any other brain damage. Zoey was taken back to the prenatal wing for tests to ensure she had no internal damage. And Jed was rushed to get a CT scan to check for any spinal injury and X-rays to see what bones he had broken.

It took over an hour for Zoey to be released back to Abbey's care. They were both just fine, suffering only minor cuts and bruises and the remnants of shock. Now they had to wait for news about Jed.

Once she'd gotten Zoey calmed and fed, and she had stopped shaking and crying, Abbey made the necessary and dreaded phone call. She dialed the number for the farm and took deep breaths as it rang.

"Bartlet residence," a straight-forward voice answered.

"Hi, Mrs. Landingham, it's Abbey."

"Abbey, dear, is everything alright? Jed said you two would be home with the baby hours ago!"

"We got into a car accident. I'm okay and the baby is okay, but they're still doing tests on Jed. It looks like he broke his arm and got a nasty cut on his head at the very least. I'm waiting to hear more."

"Oh my god! Don't you worry about a thing here. I'll stay with Liz and Ellie as long as you need. Do you want me to call anyone to be with you?" Mrs. Landingham asked with concern.

Abbey almost asked for her parents, but she changed her mind. "No, I don't want to worry anyone until I know anything for sure. Don't let the girls know anything is wrong, please. I just wanted to tell you so you didn't wonder why we were so late. Tell Liz and Ell that we had to stay in the hospital for a little longer and we'll call them later."

Mrs. Landingham paused for a beat. "Abbey, are you sure you don't need anyone?"

Abbey could feel herself getting emotional again. "I just need Jed," she replied. Her voice cracked, despite her best efforts.

"I'll pray for you both. Keep faith. Everything will work out." Delores Landingham knew better than anyone that tragedy can strike at any moment, even at the most joyous of times. As impossible as it seemed, life would go on. Abbey was a strong girl. No matter what happened, she would be alright. But Mrs. Landingham couldn't help but be afraid that she might lose a little brother right before Christmas, just a few short years after she'd lost her sons, almost to the day.

Abbey hung up the phone and sat in the waiting room, trying to focus on baby Zoey. It was hard. Even at a week old, she looked like Jed.

Another hour later, a doctor finally came out to update her. "Mrs. Bartlet, your husband sustained a severe dislocation to his shoulder and a spiral fracture to his humerus. I needed to surgically repair the break, but it's set in a cast and sling now, and he should make a full recovery after some physical therapy. He also sustained a concussion, but that was all for the head injury. The laceration was long but not deep. It took twenty stitches to close it up, but I don't think it will leave much of a scar. You were all very lucky."

A wave of relief crashed over her. She felt like she could exhale for the first time all day. "When can I see him?"

"He's still unconscious, but he should come-to soon. We have him in a recovery room. I'd like to keep him overnight for observation. If his neuro check tomorrow is clean, we can discharge him then. We can wait until after Christmas to remove the stitches. For now, if you'd like to follow me, I'll take you to his room. And I'll have a nurse bring a bassinet for the baby."

Jed woke up slowly and painfully. Everything hurt. He couldn't move his head. His eyes fluttered open, rejecting the bright florescent light.

"Jed?"

Her voice was like a beacon. "Abbey?" His voice was hoarse. It felt as weak as the rest of his body.

His eyes focused on her face, looking over him with tears in her eyes. "I'm here. You came out of surgery a few hours ago. Don't try to move. There are stitches and bandages all over your head. But you're going to be okay."

It took him a moment to remember what had happened. He'd seen that car run the red light. He'd tried to brake, but the snow ruined any traction. He had reached back to try and shield Abbey and the baby. The baby. A flutter of panic gripped his heart. "Is she…?"

"Zoey is fine. I'm fine. A little banged up, but you took the brunt of the injuries. You got a concussion and a cut on your head and your right arm is worse for wear, but we're all going to be okay," she promised.

"Abbey, I'm so sorry. That car came out of nowhere."

She shook her head. "Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. You saved us." Abbey leaned in and pressed her lips against his. "I almost lost you," she whispered. "Please don't do that again."

"I'll do my best." Jed moved his hand slightly and found hers and held onto it tight.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm going to call Mrs. Landingham again and update her. I told her we were at the hospital after a car accident, but I didn't know if you were going to be okay. She said she would be fine to stay with the girls. But we should be able to go home tomorrow." Abbey picked up the phone from the bedside table and dialed their house one-handed, keeping the other safely in Jed's hand. She gave Mrs. Landingham the good news and asked to speak to Liz and then Ellie so she could tell them what had happened herself. Thankfully, she could give them all good news after explaining the car accident.

Abbey stayed awake all night, watching Jed rest as he recovered from his brain injury. The pain drugs for his arm were keeping him very sedated. She fed Zoey every few hours and walked her around the room to keep her calm. In the rare moments of complete quiet, she thanked God above for watching over her family and getting them through their seemingly endless stream of danger.

The sun rose the next morning. Jed blinked awake into the dim gray light of that late December morning. He found Abbey's face. She was smiling. Jed had the strangest feeling that, somehow, it was all over now. All the apprehension over Abbey's pregnancy and the complications bringing Zoey into the world and the car crash that kept them from going home. It was all done, and they'd made it through.

Abbey watched Jed wake up and smile back at her. The sun coming through the window was the light leading them back to safety.


End file.
